42 - Sunday, March 24, 1991 - North Shore News Co-operation is needed between public and services IT WAS a five-page letter and it smacked of the col- umnist’s worst-case scenario — information given had not been correct. Eleanor THE VINTAGE YEARS At first reading, my dander came up. My information had been used incorrectly. At second and third readings, no, there was something haywire here, there was a glitch in the works somewhere. Remember an earlier story about an elderly gentleman who hadn't surfaced for a few days and who excited the concern of a neighbor, who in turn enlisted the attention of a known friend, Florence? Florence went through a lot of running around, making telephone calls, lugging pallisiive groceries, all that stuff, and was told when it was all over that she’d have been better just to call this number in the first place — 986- T1414. I suggested in the column that you put it up on your refrigerator in case of crisis, it being the number that would bring the ex- pertise of Lions Gate Hospital’s comparatively new Quick Response Team. What nobody told us, and the hospital was remiss in their public information chores here, I think, was that this magic number not only rings for the QR Team, but also serves the regular Home Nur- sing Care Department and Long Term Care. So when it's answered, some conversation is called for. ‘‘What’s the problem? Are you in crisis? What sort of attention do you wish?’’ That kind of thing. And this is as good a place as any te underline for you that this number, very valuable as it is, is not a substitute for 9-1-1. 1f some passing motorist shoots off your knee-caps, you need 9-1-1. If it’s medical or post-medical attention you need, use 986-7111. To get it all sorted out, what happened was that this lady, who lives alone in a Woodcroft apart- ment, fell in her home and broke a leg. She was carried off to Lions Gate Hospital in an ambulance, where she was properly attended and remained for nine days. Now here comes the second balls-up. When she was discharged, she somehow slipped through the jurisdictional cracks — no one asked her how she was going to cope when she got home. Did she have help available? Nobody men- tioned the Home Nursing Care Department or the existence of an assessor, who could come to her home to discuss needed help. She was bundled up with her cast and her walker and de-bedd- ed. At the counter on the main floor she was given the magic number, 986-7111, should she find herself in need, and then she was shipped out. She had read the columns re- garding the helpful agencies on the North Shore and told her son, who drove her home, ‘Oh, don't worry about me. FIl get a home- maker. It’s easy.’” Her first move when she got home was to call 986-7111, as prescribed. The respanse was not what she had anticipated. The person who answered her call said, **Whyever would they give you this number? We only have to do with elderly patients with chronic ailments."’ End of conversation. And my correspondent, instead of calling back to the hospital and asking why she was given an un- productive number, which surely would have procured the proper connection, swallowed the rebuff whole, and went to work to make up her own list of resources. She called ParaMed Health. She called North Shore Neighbour- hood House. She called United Way. And AuPair Housekeepers, and the North Shore Family Ser- vices and the North Shore Association for Physically Handi- capped People. She did not, unfortunately, call her doctor, who has the power to direct help to his patients. She made her last call to North. Shore Home Support, and was told she could have a homemaker for $16.50 per hour, minimum time two hours. ‘Thirty-three dollars a day?’’ shrieked our pa- tient, ‘that’s $231 a week! All I want is someone to come round and bring in the morning paper and fill my water jug and wash my soup bowl and take the gar- bage to the chute.”’ Of course she soon realized she also needed groceries in the place, and a change of towels and bed- ding occasionally, but it still didn't strike her as more than small time. She was eager to pay a common-sense hourly rate, but just didn't require serious nursing. A call to West Vancouver Seniors’ Centre brought one of their angels, who did the washing and other small chores but was firm about not taking payment. So our heroine, not wanting to be indebted, made a poster, of a small lady with a large cast languishing on the sofa surround- ed by garbage and unwashed plates, and got her niece to stick it up in the laundry room. This elicited help from two kind women, one in the building, and she was able to get through the rest of her recovery period without too much discomfort. But there’s an obvious gap, isn’t there, in our available ser- vices to each other. Improvement is on the way, I am happy to report. Everyone, aware of the complexity of the set-up, has been contributing to a solution, and one looks near. Meanwhile, if you are unfortu- nate and fall ill or break one of your parts, do ask. Ask your doc- tor, ask about an assessor, ask about after-care. There’s something in the wind, though, that I'm looking forward to having more information on. When the information comes, I'll tell you about Neighbourlink. “Theres nothing wrong with retirement as long ag tt doesn't ; ee get in the way of living.” Mark Twain All the Best! You'll find nothing less at Pacific Terrace. 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